Safer Choice Label Redesign Consultations

OMB Review Draft

ATTACHMENT H

Survey to Test Awareness and Perceptions of EPA’s Safer Choice Label and Alternate Labels:

General Adult Population Survey

OMB Control No. 2070-NEW

Approval expires x/xx/xxxx

This collection of information is approved by OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. (OMB Control No. 2070-NEW). Responses to this collection of information are voluntary. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to be 0.5 hours per response. Send comments on the Agency’s need for this information, the accuracy of the provided burden estimates and any suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden to the Regulatory Support Division Director, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2821T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20460. Include the OMB control number in any correspondence. Do not send the completed form to this address.

Survey for EPA Safer Choice

Awareness and Perceptions of Safer Choice Label and Alternate Labels

General Adult Population Survey

The annual public burden for this collection of information is estimated at 0.5 hours per response. Responses will be private to the extent permitted by law. This is a voluntary collection; respondents do not have to respond if there is no OMB control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 2070-0189. Send comments on the Agency's need for this information, the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden, including through the use of automated collection techniques to the Director, Collection Strategies Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2822T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20460. Include the OMB control number in any correspondence. Do not send the completed application to this address.

The survey below is designed to test awareness and perceptions of the primary Safer Choice label, with options for testing alternate labels. This document contains four modules of questions: general questions on the Safer Choice program and label, supplemental questions on the Safer Choice fragrance-free label, general questions on the Design for the Environment (DfE) program and label, and questions on the DfE label design. For a given survey, one to three modules of questions will be used, while ensuring that the burden does not exceed 0.5 hours per response.

GENERAL QUESTIONS ON THE SAFER CHOICE PROGRAM AND LABEL

1. Are you familiar with a certification program implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that helps shoppers and buyers find products that can help protect the environment and have ingredients that are safer for people, families, and pets?

• Yes

• No [SKIP to Q3]

2. What is the name of the certification program? [Open-ended]

3. For more than 15 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has implemented a voluntary certification program that helps shoppers and buyers find products that can help protect the environment and have ingredients that are safer for people, families, and pets. This certification program, called “Safer Choice,” evaluates human health and environmental concerns associated with chemicals in a variety of products, including commonly used household cleaning products. Products that meet EPA’s Safer Choice Standard are allowed to carry the Safer Choice label. When you see the Safer Choice label on a product it means the Safer Choice scientific review team has screened each ingredient for potential human health and environmental effects and has determined the product contains only safer ingredients.

Now that you have heard more about the certification program, do you recall hearing or seeing anything about this program?

• Yes

• No

4. A. Have you seen this visual mark on any products on store shelves?

• Yes

• No

2. Have you seen this visual mark on any products you have purchased?

• Yes

• No

5. Based on what you now know about the certification program, how likely are you to use the Safer Choice label to help you select a product to purchase?

• Extremely likely

• Very likely

• Somewhat likely

• Slightly likely

• Not at all likely

Please answer the following questions about the program name and visual design of the Safer Choice label (show image of label).

On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates that you “strongly disagree,” and 5 indicates that you “strongly agree,” please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

		Strongly Disagree 1	Somewhat Disagree 2	Neutral - don’t agree or disagree 3	Somewhat Agree 4	Strongly Agree 5
1	I would notice this label if I saw it on a product or packaging
2	The label is attractive and appealing
3	The visual design is effective in showing that the product contains ingredients that are safer for people and families
4	The visual design is effective in showing that the product contains ingredients that help protect the environment
5	The name “Safer Choice” is effective in showing that the product contains ingredients that are safer for people and families
6	The name “Safer Choice” is effective in showing that the product contains ingredients that protect the environment
7	The tagline “Meets U.S. EPA Safer Product Standards” is credible
8	This label is a useful resource for shoppers
9	I would use this label to help me decide which product to buy

6. Have you seen products with this label in stores where you shop for household goods?

• YES

• NO

• I don’t know

7. Have you purchased a product with this label in the past six months?

• YES

• NO

• I don’t know

8. What would most motivate you to purchase products with this label? [PLEASE SELECT ONE RESPONSE ONLY]

• If it was cost competitive

• If it was easy to locate on store shelves

• If there was scientific information readily available to support claims

• If I had a coupon to encourage me to buy the product

• If it was proven to be safer for children and animals

• I would not purchase products with this label

OPTIONAL ALTERNATE LABEL (E.G., FRAGRANCE FREE) DESIGN QUESTIONS

In addition to the general design, there is a [“fragrance free”] label for products. Please answer the following questions as they relate to the [fragrance free] design.

Fragrance Free Design (or other alternate design)

On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates that you “strongly disagree,” and 5 indicates that you “strongly agree,” please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

		Strongly Disagree 1	Somewhat Disagree 2	Neutral - don’t agree or disagree 3	Somewhat Agree 4	Strongly Agree 5
1	I prefer to buy [fragrance free] products for my family
2	I buy [fragrance free] products on a regular basis (at least once a month)
3	The label is effective in showing that the product is [fragrance free]
4	I would use this label to help me decide which product to buy

GENERAL QUESTIONS ON THE DfE PROGRAM AND LABEL

1. Are you familiar with a certification program implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that helps shoppers and buyers find antimicrobial products, such as disinfectants and sanitizers, with ingredients that meet stringent criteria for human health and environmental effects?

• Yes

• No [SKIP to Q3]

2. What is the name of the certification program? [Open-ended]

3. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers a voluntary certification program that helps shoppers and buyers find disinfectant products with ingredients that meet stringent criteria for effects on the environment and for the health of people, families, and pets. This certification program, called “Design for the Environment” or “DfE,” evaluates human health and environmental concerns associated with chemicals in a variety of products, including commonly used household disinfectant products. Disinfectant products that meet EPA’s stringent ingredient criteria are allowed to carry the DfE label. When you see the DfE label on a product it means the EPA scientific review team has screened each ingredient against criteria for potential human health and environmental effects.

Now that you have heard more about the certification program, do you recall hearing or seeing anything about this program?

• Yes

• No

4. 

   Label

   A. Have you seen this visual mark on any products on store shelves?

• Yes

• No

2. Have you seen this visual mark on any products you have purchased?

• Yes

• No

5. Based on what you now know about the certification program, how likely are you to use the DfE label to help you select a product to purchase?

• Extremely likely

• Very likely

• Somewhat likely

• Slightly likely

• Not at all likely

Please answer the following questions about the program name and visual design of the DfE label (show image of label).

Label

On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates that you “strongly disagree,” and 5 indicates that you “strongly agree,” please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

		Strongly Disagree 1	Somewhat Disagree 2	Neutral - don’t agree or disagree 3	Somewhat Agree 4	Strongly Agree 5
1	I would notice this label if I saw it on a product or packaging
2	The label is attractive and appealing
3	The visual design is effective in showing that the product contains ingredients that have been reviewed by EPA and meet EPA’s stringent standards for human health
4	The visual design is effective in showing that the product contains ingredients that have been reviewed by EPA and meet EPA’s stringent standards for environmental effects
5	The name “DfE” is effective in showing that the product contains ingredients that have been reviewed by EPA and meet EPA’s stringent standards for human health
6	The name “DfE” is effective in showing that the product contains ingredients that have been reviewed by EPA and meet EPA’s stringent standards for environmental effects
7	The tagline [TBD] is credible
8	This label is a useful resource for shoppers
9	I would use this label to help me decide which product to buy

6. Have you seen products with this label in stores where you shop for household goods?

• YES

• NO

• I don’t know

7. Have you purchased a product with this label in the past six months?

• YES

• NO

• I don’t know

8. What would most motivate you to purchase products with this label? [PLEASE SELECT ONE RESPONSE ONLY]

• If it was cost competitive

• If it was easy to locate on store shelves

• If there was scientific information readily available to support claims

• If I had a coupon to encourage me to buy the product

• I would not purchase products with this label

OPTIONAL DfE DESIGN QUESTIONS

Below is a label that EPA may allow to be used on certified antimicrobial products, such as disinfectants and sanitizers, that have chemical ingredients that meet stringent criteria for human health and environmental effects. Please answer the following questions as they relate to the DfE design.

DfE Label Design

Label

On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates that you “strongly disagree,” and 5 indicates that you “strongly agree,” please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

		Strongly Disagree 1	Somewhat Disagree 2	Neutral - don’t agree or disagree 3	Somewhat Agree 4	Strongly Agree 5
1	I buy disinfectant products on a regular basis (at least once every three months)
2	The label is effective in showing that the product contains ingredients that have been reviewed by EPA and meet EPA’s stringent standards for human health
3	The label is effective in showing that the product contains ingredients that have been reviewed by EPA and meet EPA’s stringent standards for environmental effects
4	I would notice this label if I saw it on a product or packaging
5	The label is attractive and appealing
6	The tagline [TBD] is credible
7	This label is a useful resource for shoppers
8	I would use this label to help me decide which product to buy

Below is a label that EPA allows to be used on certified cleaning products other than disinfectants that have chemical ingredients that meet stringent criteria for human health and environmental effects.

S
afer Choice Label

Considering both labels (DfE and Safer Choice), please answer the following questions (show images of both labels).

1. How would you describe these labels?

• The same

• Similar

• Different

2. These two labels are similar but distinct.

• True

• False

3. If you were in the store shopping for household goods, do you think you would be able to tell the difference between these two labels?

• Yes

• No

4. What message do you think EPA is trying to convey about products with the DfE label?

EPA Form Number 9600-022

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